Eurotrek 2006 – Phone Blog
From my Treo. Waiting in line to see Brunelleschi’s Dome in Florence, Italy.
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Santa Maria del Fiore — looks like the southwest corner of the apse.
That dome, at 143 feet in diameter, is still the largest in the world. It ranks with the greatest engineering achievements in all of human history. Anyone interested in this stuff should go read Ross King's superb little book about it.
Cool shot, Rich. My friend Jid O'Brien climbed it, too. He came home raving about it. I'll look forward to your photographs.
Billy:
Good guess, but try again. Clue: we're in the shade of the dome itself, and it's mid-morning, about 10 or 11 a.m.
Well, then, that would make it the northwest, I think, near the corner where the apse meets the length of the nave and aisles. (Just about directly opposite where I'd originally thought.) The length of the cathedral extends off-frame to the right.
Is that it?
B:
Yep, the northwest, exactly where you say, and 180 out from what ou first thought.
180s are the easiest errors to make, huh?
You should have heard the radio traffic the day that I reported to the tower at LZU "five miles west" when I was actually five miles east. The controller finally gave up: "I don't know where he is".
I don't know why they didn't start shooting at me as soon as they finally saw me.
Sheesh.
Later, I called the tower and apologized. He said that happens all the time. Boy, was my face red.